Battlefields›Battle of Mons Graupius
Roman Period

Battle of Mons Graupius

84
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Caledonian Confederacy
VS
Victor
Roman Empire
Forces involved

Roman Empire: 17,000-30,000+; Caledonian Confederacy: 15,000-30,000+

Outcome
Roman victory; Agricola's campaign brought much of Scotland under temporary Roman control, though the occupation was soon abandoned and forces withdrew to the Forth-Clyde line.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Mons Graupius was a Roman pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought in the area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 84. Roman Empire prevailed over Caledonian Confederacy. Roman victory; Agricola's campaign brought much of Scotland under temporary Roman control, though the occupation was soon abandoned and forces withdrew to the Forth-Clyde line.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Mons Graupius lies on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

Casualties & Losses
  • Roman: approximately 360 dead; Caledonian: approximately 10,000 dead (Tacitus), with a further c.20,000 said to have retreated
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Mons Graupius

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Mons Graupius

Mains of Hatton, stone circle 575m NNW of
Mains of Hatton, stone circle 575m NNW of
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~3.4 mi

Mains of Hatton is a Bronze Age stone circle located in Aberdeenshire, standing 575 metres north-north-west of the settlement it is named after. The monument comprises standing stones arranged in a circle, a characteristic ceremonial or ritual structure dating to the Bronze Age period. It is prot…

North Pitglassie, stone circle 1320m SW of
North Pitglassie, stone circle 1320m SW of
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~4.4 mi

North Pitglassie is a Bronze Age stone circle located in Aberdeenshire, south-west of the settlement from which it takes its name. The monument stands on bedrock belonging to the Southern Highland Group, a geological formation of psammite and pelite that dates to the Middle Cambrian period. This…

Upperthird,stone circle 300m W of
Upperthird,stone circle 300m W of
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~4.4 mi

Upperthird Stone Circle is a Bronze Age stone circle located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately 300 metres west of Upperthird. The monument stands upon bedrock belonging to the Southern Highland Group, metamorphic rocks of Middle Cambrian age composed of psammite and pelite that underlie m…

Gight Castle
Gight Castle
Scheduled monument · ~4.9 mi

Gight Castle is a ruined tower house of the sixteenth century situated in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland. Built by the Meldrum family, the castle comprises a rectangular keep which originally rose to several storeys with a vaulted basement and corner turrets typical of the period and region.…

Black Cairn, cairn 990m NW of Tocherford
Black Cairn, cairn 990m NW of Tocherford
Scheduled monument · ~5.5 mi

Black Cairn is a cairn situated on the moorland 990 metres north-west of Tocherford in Aberdeenshire. The monument stands on bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, a formation of metamorphic psammite and pelite rock dating to the Middle Cambrian period. This ancient geological base underlies the…

Cat Cairn, cairn 255m SW of Smiddyhowe
Cat Cairn, cairn 255m SW of Smiddyhowe
Scheduled monument · ~6.2 mi

Cat Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated in Aberdeenshire, approximately 255 metres south-west of Smiddyhowe. The cairn sits upon bedrock composed of mafic igneous rock, an Ordovician to Silurian intrusion that has weathered to create a distinctive rocky landscape. This geological foun…

Montrose's Camp, earthwork
Scheduled monument · ~1.5 miles
Corrydown, stone circle 150m NE of
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~3.8 miles
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Battles near Battle of Mons Graupius

Battle of Fyvie Castle 1644
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~3.3 miles away
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~6.9 miles away
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